Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

foxgloves

Well, thanks to doing a lot of the financial spadework yesterday, I have finished my Big Budget Day shenanigans. No nasty surprises as had already discovered July's grocery budget-recording error yesterday, so it was all straightforward. Was not able to put as much as usual into the Savings Pots, but I did top up the Car Maintenance Pot to its agreed max following recent new tyres, refunded the House & Garden Pot with the cost of recent new towels & paid in to the Holiday Pot as per my carefully worked out Holiday Payment Schedule. Our Autumn holiday balance was paid earlier this month & the payment schedule, which I'm sure some might think was taking the concept of a holiday budget into the realms of anorakhood, is designed to ensure that the money is available to pay every cost as it occurs, whether it's a deposit, balance or cattery fees. I really like to know it is there & that there is just absolutely zero chance of any of these costs being flung onto a credit card like in the bad old days.
Also paid into the Car Fund (as in future car replacement, rather than maintenance) & bought this month's quota of premium bonds....are you listening, ERNIE, you mean pig?! I've seen a lovely totally unaffordable bungalow, you know, so time to get those numbers crunched in our direction, please!
Have had a good financial filing session so that's cleared all the paperwork that was sitting around looking at me accusingly. Nice to have a decluttered little HQ room as need to put the spare futon bed down in here later ready for nephew. Need to warn him about Soot's dawn foghorn services, although thankfully both my sis & nephew love cats.
Created a new stronger password for a savings account as I was aware it was very weak. Turns out that my new super-duper impenetrable one was so strong (& weird) that it was rejected! Simplified it a bit & all sorted now.
Anything else on the frugal front? I've made another free notepad using halved clean-on-one-side scrap A4 paper & a bulldog clip, ironed the only 2 items that needed it from yesterday's laundry & after lunch, I'll be baking for the weekend. I might pot up a few self-seeded plants if I have any spare time left or I may decide to leave those for next week (you know me & free plants though!) & enjoy some quiet time out on the reading bench with my book. It's a total doorstep, as was another title I read earlier this year, so it isn't exactly helping with my 100 novels in 2025 reading challenge, but never mind, the most important thing is selecting books which look interesting & engaging. 
Use-it-up couple of sausages tonight. We'd decided on poached eggs & home made jacket wedges for tonight as something cheap, quick & cheerful but then Mr F found these forgotten sausages while engaged in one of his endless freezer tetris re-organisations so like all sorts of other oddments, they are being eaten up to make space for garden produce & things which I've made with it. 
Have told Mr F that after our halos slipping a little in July, we need to stick to all our budget headings during August, because if we don't, I am not going to dip into our savings. That means that I would have to make up any overspends from our regular September budget, thus reducing the likelihood of providing a Holiday Expenses pot from 'Definitely will' to 'Only maybe'. I can tell you that this strengthened his resolve almost instantly!
Oh & final thing, Postie delivered a small box I haven't had a chance to open yet, but I reckon it's some products for testing so I must have been selected from that survey I did recently. 
Right, I think I'll do early cat lunches, followed by my own, then I can get my baking pinny on.
Cheers,
F xx

KajiKita

I like the sound of a payment schedule for a holiday actually … We are planning a ‘big trip’ (for us that is) next year which involves new passports, ferry costs, accommodation, fuel, food and some spending money. I would be more than happy to have forecast of when I need funds to cover those outgoings … 😊😉

Like you I need a cheaper, less spendy August. I love how you motivated Mr F 😉😊

KK

foxgloves

@KajiKita - Yes, Mr F was in fact SO motivated that he pinged me earlier to say we need to sit down at the end of the month & write out a master meal plan for August based on 2 roast chickens, then everything else from our own stores & kitchen garden!

Re the holiday payment schedule. I write it out  in the back of my trusty money book (where all the monthly budgets live). I establish the full cost inc cattery fees then work out exactly how much we need to save into the Holiday Pot each month to facilitate all payments being there in time. And I always ensure that there's enough to pay a deposit on the next holiday cottage even if we don't know where we're going yet. Like everything else where budgeting is concerned, it's a case of finding out what works for you.
F

Suffolk_lass

I agree completely about finding the things that work for you @foxgloves. Over here, I have been tidying our accounts to the nearest amount ending in zero, for years (Tilly tidying). I have continued into retirement and our reduced spend, combined with improved finances since the state pension started for both of us, means that this has increased to a £50 rounding, and occasionally the nearest £100 rounding. There is a purpose; with a big crack in the floor concrete-plate of our old block and brick built pig shed I am pressing for urgent repairs that might result in most of it coming down and needing to be rebuilt. Mr Sl is prevaricating but we must get going or it will fall down. The money is there for the big bit of the purchase now, and I am planning to source other things from bargains as I go.

I was talking to one of the Village farmers last night and he said nothing in his garden is growing properly. Our harvest is certainly very variable this year.

foxgloves

@Suffolk_lass - Interesting comment from your local farmer. I can well believe it. I do have stuff here that is now going crazy - i.e aubergines, courgettes & jalapenos. French beans have also pulled their socks up, but it is unusual for me not to have picked a single ripe tomato yet. The first couple are ripening, & there are heaps of green ones growing away to a good size, but the plants got behind because of that period of several weeks when they just went into stasis from the overheated roots. I think when they do all start ripening, I will be on pretty intense tomato processing duties!
F

foxgloves

Afternoon Frugal Friends,
Had a lovely weekend with my sister & youngest nephew (17). We took them out on both days & also enjoyed a good catch-up back at Foxgloves Manor. I have such a very small family - I think it was @ladyholly who mentioned a little while back what a difference it makes when both one's parents were an only-child. I have plenty of 2nd cousins I don't know, except a couple online, but no 1st cousins, Aunts or Uncles & neither Mr F or I have children. I don't resent having a small family, but it does mean that I enjoy our get-togethers.
Yesterday & today have pretty much been about getting the house back to normal, washing guest bedding, putting spare beds away, dealing with leftovers, putting furniture back & tidying up. My sister was adamant she didn't want any courgettes & said she is defo only going to grow one plant next year but she was happy to take a couple of aubergines, a punnet of blackberries & a small boxful of homemade preserves from the pantry. I also decluttered a geranium & another plant in her direction as I have plenty of both. I sent them back with the rest of my chocolate cake too, to stop us eating it as we are both working on getting our weight going on a downwards trajectory, not bolstering it with buttercream-festooned baked goods!
A not-so-good thing is that we have a poorly Soot. On Saturday night, he was entertaining us all by racing up & down the garden at great speed for for an 11-year old & showing off his tree climbing. But on Sunday night, he didn't want his dinner or his bedtime treats. Yesterday, he refused food all day, except for about 4 biscuits & wasn't interested in treats or strokes & fuss. He lay around like a sad sack all day. I wasn't able to get him a vet appointment as they were booked solid so I booked one for tomorrow morning. However, today he is a bit brighter, he doesn't want any cat meat but has had 3 goes at his saucer of biscuits & a small handful of treats. If he continues to pick up, I will cancel the appointment so it can go to an emergency. I am very stressed by sick cats. I deal much better with being ill myself.
Anyway, today's budget-positive efforts:
*Did my slightly belated Monday morning budget updates.
*Rounded up a bag of library returns.
*Sorted all yesterday's laundry & ironed what required it. Noted that my summer dress which I have mended 4 times is not going to last to the end of the summer, but if it hadn't have been for that bit of make-do & mend, I don't think I'd have worn it more than once or twice this year.
*Washed & line-dried a 5m length of fabric I bought at the weekend. I had a lesson from my sis (excellent at sewing & she can cut & adapt patterns) in how to adapt the pattern for the 2 dresses I've recently made into a maxi-dress by adding a tier & also 2 different versions of the sleeves for variety. I intend to get this cut out soon as would like to wear it when we go on holiday. The fabric came to £25 & my sis owed me £24 so it kind of felt like it only cost me £1.
*Today's garden pickings: Coriander, aubergines, french beans & carrots. I haven't dared look at the courgettes yet, but I would be surprised if there are not a few of the fiends lurking.
*Did a couple of surveys & cashed out of PA at £22-33.
*I'm going to make vegetable bhuna tonight using our garden produce. It's fine to make it a little in advance then allow it to stand for all the flavours to mellow so I shall get on with that shortly while listening to my audiobook. It will make at least 4 portions, so there will be some to freeze for going on August's master meal plan too.
If I have any leftover time, I shall read or continue with my presents stash knitting. Looking forward to Sewing Bee tonight, but more than anything, I want Soot back to normal.
F x

themadvix

Oh I do hope Soot continues to improve - it is *such* a worry when they're ill. Much easier when it's a human as they can tell you (or you know if it's yourself) how bad it is.

That aside, it sounds like you had a lovely weekend 😊

badmemory

I totally get the small family.  There are only 3 of us left, my sister & I and my son.  I was not exactly a teenager when I had him, so he is going to be completely on his own.  So my current challenge is to live to 110.  But only if without dementia.  Nothing like a serious target then.

Sun_Addict

I hope Soot gets better soon 🤞

KajiKita

Sending soothing, healing vibes to Soot x

KK